Opinion Fair dealings ‘Grit and glamour’


STANDING IN THE cavernous space of Earls Court last week, with the east wind that the whole country has been complaining about battering the sides (one can only apologise to international visitors if this is still the case; problems with stands we can usually solve, the weather . . .), I suddenly fully realised what an extraordinary operation the London Book Fair is. In just a few days, the hall is


transformed into a welcoming, carpeted, small city (one with plenty of shop windows!), a little world in which you can walk through the entire international book trade eco-system, from small fi rms developing apps, to the major houses making big announcements; from start-up digital innovators to the indefatigable remainder dealers. Now that I’m on the inside—as


opposed to helping promote LBF in my previous role as c.e.o. of Midas Public Relations—I’ve learnt the mass


of activity that


T e unprecedented


pace of change in the industry emphasises the need more than ever for the industry to come together as one, and share best practice”


goes on in the background. T e core team leaps from 15 to 500 and my responsibilities now include employing traffi c marshals, signing off risk assessments, and getting involved in health and safety issues of which visitors are happily unaware. Fortunately, I like this detail. T e book fair is an appealing mix of grit and glamour. So, while it’s been exciting, for example, to bring the exclusive T e Club at T e Ivy to the International Rights Centre, I’m just as pleased with an effi cient way of dealing with the masses of cardboard that the fair generates.


New blood


So, to the fair itself. Without wishing to sound like a Eurovision Song Contest announcer, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Croatia,


Georgia and Singapore for the fi rst time, and to welcome back Brazil, Mexico, Qatar, T ailand, Portugal and Ukraine. I only wish I could rattle off a greeting in their


respective languages. T is year we have more than 60 countries exhibiting, and of course, we are honoured to have Turkey as Market Focus.


For me, the fair is an enabler, a catalyst. It belongs to everyone, and I shall get as much


pleasure over listening to case studies of brilliance and originality


thebookseller.com 15 APRIL 2013 | THE BOOKSELLER DAILY AT LBF 21


digital communication. T ing is, have you noticed they’re often asking this question quite happily in one of the fair bars? For me, the unprecedented pace of


New LBF boss Jacks Thomas welcomes publishers from fi rst-time territories and argues that networking face to face is more vital than ever in today’s industry


showcased at the Children’s Innovation T eatre, as I will at seeing a packed audience for the Charles Clark Memorial Lecture on copyright. Both are equally important. We’re pleased to be hosting LBF’s


fi rst ever education conference and, perhaps not surprisingly, the Digital Zone is 30% larger this year. We’ve partnered with IC Tomorrow to off er Tech Central a space where those companies shortlisted for the Digital Innovations Contest can make their pitches. But naturally, people still ask if


such fairs are necessary in this age of


change in the industry emphasises the need more than ever for the industry to come together as one, and share best practice. Publishing people are social animals. T ey may use Twitter, but they also like to talk face-to-face about using Twitter. But the fair is also so much more


than just Earls Court, and so much more than the sum of its parts. It’s about the conversations that may begin in this giant hall, but which continue in the restaurants, bars and bookshops of this great literary city, this world city of London. Have a great fair!


Jacks T omas was appointed LBF senior exhibition director in January 2012. She was previously c.e.o. at Midas Public Relations and director of communications, Europe for Reader’s Digest.


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